MVP Watson powers Gardens

PALM BEACH GARDENS — The Tampa Sickles boys' basketball team fell into two dangerous traps against tournament host Palm Beach Gardens in the championship game on Saturday night.

The Gryphons underestimated junior point guard Tony Watson's shooting ability and also allowed the Gators to take control of the pace of the game.

Midway through the fourth quarter, those mistake came back to haunt Sickles as Gardens pulled away for a 75-63 win to claim the tournament title.

The bigger of the two miscalculations was the one involving Watson. With Gardens trailing 51-48 with 6:07 remaining in the game, Watson came alive.

Gardens went on a 14-2 run with Watson scoring 11 of those points, including back-to-back 3-pointers. The game was never in doubt again.

"That Watson kid really turned it on," Sickles coach Renaldo Garcia said. "He was a bit too much for us in the end. He took the game into his own hands."

Watson finished with a game-high 33 points, 21 of them coming in the second half, and nine assists. He was named the Most Valuable Player of the tournament for the second consecutive year.

"I think the bigger the stage, the better I play," Watson said. "It's like a switch just clicks on and I know I need to score."

Garcia said his team does not normally play at the breakneck speed the Gators (16-1) do. He did, however, have enough confidence in his team's outside shooting that he gave it the green light to match the Gators' pace.

The first half resembled a 3-point shooting contest, except played at full speed. Both teams took 19 shots from behind the 3-point arc in the first two quarters, with Sickles (12-5) taking a 31-29 lead into halftime.

Antonio Pietro and Dylan Seelman were named to the all-tournament team after scoring 21 and 10 points, respectively. Pietro went 4 of 8 from behind the 3-point line.